Walk along the road

You figure that it’s best to follow a known route. The road will surely lead to a settlement, even if it takes an extra while. Slow and steady, as they say. And should anyone hostile shows up, you can easily escape into the surrounding forest.

With a plan in mind, you begin to walk alongside the dirt path. The sound of nature surrounds you as you make your way forward, the serene environment following you with each step. You don’t last more than an hour, however. The ordeal with the orcs in your village has left you sore and exhausted. You slow down and lean against a nearby tree. You aren’t breathing hard, but you are starting to feel a little light headed.

You sit down and put your weight against the tree beside you. As you lean up against the tree, you start to feel more relaxed. Slowly, your eyes close shut as you begin to doze off.

You awake with a startle to the sound of horses in the distance. The sound of squealing carriage wheels bounce against the forest’s trees. You quickly get up and hide in the nearby bushes, worried about who might be traveling the road.

You wait patiently for the carriage and its riders to appear in view. When they do, you begin to fill with hope. The carriage’s passengers appear to be human, and judging by their clothes, they look like simple peddlers. The carriage itself appears blocky. It has a simple wooden bottom half and a large, beige linen cover draped over the roof and sides.

The direction of their carriage is headed is the same as yours. They can help you get to town quickly.

The carriage is now getting close to you and you can’t help but contain your excitement as you jump out. Your sudden leap out of the bushes causes the horses to become startled. The two peddlers at the front of the cart jump up in surprise as well. “Damn! Robbers!” one shouts.

You blink a few times in confusion. “What?” you say quietly. You quickly realize how strange you look, jumping out of the bushes with spear in hand and adventurer clothes on. “Oh! No! Wait a second. I’m not a robber!” you try to explain.

The two peddlers stop the horses and stare at you in their own sense of confusion. A third one appears from around the other side of the carriage, asking, “What the hell’s all the commotion about?” Collectively, all three merchants appeared in decent linen outfits, each one a few years older than you. All three had some form of facial hair and appeared fit from carrying heavy merchandise.

“I’m sorry that I’ve startled you, but I need your help,” you plead with them. “My village was razed by orcs and I barely made it out alive. I’m just trying to get to a safe town. If you can take me with you, I’d gladly appreciate it!”

The men stare at you silently. You notice all three of their eyes glancing up and down your young body. They look at each other for a moment then back to you with smiles. “And how do you expect to repay us for this service? The extra weight will surely tire the horses faster, slowing us down. And I expected you won’t go without food or water, either.”

You fidget a little. You do not have any money to spare. What little you had in savings was left back at the village. “I’m left without a coin from the attack,” you say. “But if there is any way I can repay you later, I’ll gladly do it.”

The men look back to each other and their smiles widen. “Sure. We can work something out, young lass,” one of them says to you, his grin ever wide.

You start to get an uneasy feeling and you hesitate to respond to their offer. You’ll be able to reach safety faster if you do, but you’re not sure how you’ll be able to repay them. Although, you think to yourself that it would be quite easy to escape should you run into trouble.